FAQs: Age-friendly Employer Pledge

No. The pledge is not evidence of an employer being accredited in any way to perform a particular activity or having achieved a level of performance.

We know that the term ‘kitemark’ can have different definitions and perceptions externally, sometimes with the assumption of meeting a set of pre-defined criteria and the expectation of having to show evidence of performance. We don’t want to create any barriers to employers for engaging with the pledge by using the term ‘kitemark’.

It’s important that employers feel confident when taking their first steps to becoming an Age-friendly Employer. We don’t want this initiative to create unnecessary barriers and challenges that may mean employers do not engage. We recognise that progress towards age-friendly and multigenerational workforces will take time, and we are all on a journey. Sustaining and embedding changes to ways of working and/or workplace culture with the right level of resource and support will ensure the longer-term benefits and impact to the organisation.

After an organisation registers their interest (or goes straight to sign up) a member of the Ageing Better team will be in touch to discuss the pledge and the actions the employers could be taking. The action framework (produced to support the pledge) provides some suggested actions as guidance. It will be kept updated as we learn of examples that employers are taking and continue to provide a framework of suggested, meaningful actions.

There is some great work in this area and it's always worthy to have good work standards for everyone. The Age-friendly Employer Pledge introduces organisations to an important agenda and offers support. It is a call to action and sits alongside and complements employment charters, which are designed to be accredited. We are working with organisations such as 55/Redefined and Rest Less, who offer tailored services to employers.

Due to the flexible and simple way we are encouraging businesses to engage with the pledge, employers can take an approach to the work that suits them. All businesses will come to this process at different stages and different resources, choosing actions that are achievable to them will be important to ensure they can build confidence and momentum to take further steps. We’ll be capturing, promoting and sharing good practice that focuses on easy ways that employers can engage with the work – demonstrating the practical and cost-effective approaches to the work.

The role of the senior sponsor is to be the named contact for official pledge information to be sent to. They should be someone senior enough in the organisation to take responsibility for signing the pledge, sharing information internally and championing progress towards the delivery of their identified action. They should also have the authority to agree any changes to work practices, resulting from the agreed action.

We have full Terms and Conditions for the pledge that you can read. Alignment to the charitable values and ethos with Ageing Better is a key determinant in any decision made to refuse a request from an organisation. In such cases where more consideration is required, an escalation process is in place, with final decisions being made by our Chief Executive.

Employers will receive a monthly newsletter with ‘pledge updates’, case studies and the promotion of key resources that will help them take action against various aspects of the action framework. They will also be invited to attend online events and webinars to explore, in more detail, the successes and challenges in implementing new practices. The pledge team will be contact at both 6 months and 12 months to see how they are progressing their action identified in their first year of signing.